Long Way Down
by BLeigh93
Summary: "Juvia, don't do it." Gajeel finds Juvia, depressed and standing on the ledge of the roof of a building. She's ready to jump. Will Gajeel be able to stop her? Or will Juvia find out it's a long way down?


**Just something that was bugging me to be written again. Got the idea (loosely) from the song "Long Way Down" by Tom Odell. It's what the two lines of lyrics in the beginning come from. It's a great song, and he's a great singer, so if you haven't already look him up. Enjoy!**

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_**So honey don't leave, don't leave**_

**_Please don't leave me now..._**

"Juvia, don't do it."

Juvia turned around to see Gajeel inching tentatively towards her. His eyes were wide with concern. The rain fell all around them, soaking their clothes and masking her tears. Each drop was cold and heavy, much like her heart felt.

"Why shouldn't she? Nobody wants Juvia around. Everyone would be better off if Juvia was simply…gone."

Gajeel stopped, knowing that if he got any closer she wouldn't hesitate to lean a little further forward. Then it would be her end.

"What makes you think we don't want you around?" he asked cautiously.

Juvia turned back to look out at Magnolia, her hands clasped gently in front of her. She shuffled her feet, making Gajeel nervous of how close she already was to the edge. "Gray-san made it painfully obvious he doesn't want her. Juvia wonders why she tried for so long."

"That's why you're doing this? The stripper isn't worth it!" Gajeel cried out, his voice loud even above the shower of the rain on the stones.

"Juvia also hears what people around town say about her. They're scared of her. They think one day she will become a Phantom again, try to wreck Fairy Tail once more. She knows she would never do that, but this way now they won't have to worry," she continued. Her hands came apart, settling instead at her sides in tight fists. She was shaking.

"Juvia is not as fierce as Erza, or as pretty as Lucy. She's not as smart as Levy, or as kind as Mira. She's not as sweet as Wendy or Lisanna, or even as good a drinker as Cana," her voice had picked up speed as she spat out every word with such sorrow. Then her voice steadied and fell to a whisper. "Juvia is nothing…"

Gajeel was shocked. He couldn't begin to fathom why she would think such horrible thoughts about herself. So he set out to set her straight. "Juvia, you were an S Class mage in Phantom, you're every bit as fierce as Erza." She looked over her shoulder at him.

"No, you're not pretty like Lucy, you're beautiful, gorgeous like Juvia. You should see the way men stare at you, even stripper does!" Her eyes narrowed, not believing a word he said.

"No one is as smart as Levy, so don't try to compare yourself to her in that way." He thought he saw her lips twitch.

"You're heart is just as big as Mira's or Lisanna's or Wendy's. You've done more for me, more for the guild than you'll ever know!" Her eyes were glued to her feet.

"And why would you even want to be as good a drinker as Cana? That woman has a serious problem!" Juvia's eyes met his again.

"Why would you think you're nothing? You, Juvia Lockser are everything and so much more."

The rain let up momentarily and he could see more tears welling in her eyes, threatening to join the ones already running down her cheeks.

"Now please, just get down from there." He took another step towards her. She saw and adjusted, her face turning to stone as her back foot teetered precariously over the ledge. The rain began to fall even harder than before. "You're lying. Why would Gajeel-kun lie to her?" she asked herself quietly. "Juvia was right all along, no one needs her." She spun around quickly, her last words almost lost amongst the wind and the downpour.

"She should have died on Tenrou Island. Now, at least all will be righted."

"Don't you dare say that!" Gajeel was furious now. He leapt forward as she moved to take her final step, grabbing her arm and pulling her back off the ledge. She stumbled but quickly regained her balance before her face hardened into a grimace.

"Why? Why can't you just let me go?" she screamed.

He grabbed both of her shoulders with more force than he should have, but at the moment his sense of control was being clouded by his fear of losing her. She winced and he pulled her to his chest, wrapping one arm around her waist while his other hand cupped the back of her head. "Don't you dare say that," he whispered into her hair. "I have not watched over you all this time to see you literally throw your life away."

She struggled to free herself from his grasp, but he was stronger and easily overpowered her. Finally she went limp in his arms, giving up the fight.

"Why? Why can't you just let me go?" she said again, but this time there was no malice in her voice, just pain, sorrow, and confusion.

" 'Cause, Fairy Tail needs you…I need you."

Juvia looked up and met his eyes. They were already set firmly on her. There was only truth in his intense gaze. "Juvia doesn't understand."

"What about I need you don't you understand? You were my only friend in Phantom, the one person who believed in me and helped bring me to Fairy Tail. You're the person I go to when I need advice, care for me when I'm sick and injured. You're the only person who's ever seen me really cry." His eyes bore into hers as he chose his next words carefully. "You kept me from killing myself after Phantom fell apart. Now, it's my turn to save you." He buried his face in her hair, his own black locks plastered to his face from the power of the rain. "Please don't leave me alone again."

Juvia felt water dripping down her cheek and she knew it wasn't the rain this time. Slowly she raised her arms and wrapped them around Gajeel's back. Her face was pressed as close to his chest as it could be. "I'm sorry," she finally said.

"You better be," he muttered into her hair. "I don't ever want to have to stop you from doing something so stupid again, you hear me?" He felt her shake her head against his chest. "Good…I love you, you know that right?"

Juvia pulled away from him just enough to look up at him in confusion. "What?"

Gajeel went pale. "Not like that! Don't be getting the wrong idea woman! I love you like a sister. An annoying sister I never wanted who sometimes does stupid things like trying to jump off of buildings. But yes, I love you anyway."

Juvia smiled, a small one that was still masking a lot of pain, but it was an improvement. Gajeel placed a small kiss on top of her head and Juvia fell limp and tired in his arms once more. He scooped her up in his arms and started walking back towards the entrance to the stairwell down from the roof. "Come on. Let's go home."

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**I hope Gajeel isn't too out of character, but I feel like this is how he would react in a situation like this with someone he's really close too. Be kind of aggressive with a lot of emotion, plus some humor when the crisis is finally diverted. **

**So, review and let me know what you think!**


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